ROSWELL, Ga. – The City of Roswell is rolling out new technology designed to help emergency vehicles reach incidents faster and more safely by automatically controlling traffic signals.
What we know:
City officials say the system uses GPS technology inside police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances to communicate with traffic lights as they approach intersections. The lights will automatically turn green in the vehicle’s direction, allowing first responders to pass through without delay. The system can also detect if the emergency vehicle is turning and adjust the light accordingly.
What they’re saying:
“It will take the signal from our apparatus whether it’s a police car, ambulance or firetruck, and when we say we’re going to turn right and we turn the signal to turn right it will clear the path for us to turn right,” said Roswell Fire Chief Pabel Troche.
Troche said the system is expected to reduce crashes, improve emergency response times, and make roads safer for all drivers.
“This has a safety impact not just for the first responders who are trying to get to the incident, not just for the person that’s having the emergency to get us there quicker, but also the drivers,” Troche said.
What’s next:
According to Mayor Kurt Wilson, Roswell controls 107 traffic signals through its Department of Transportation, and installation on those intersections will be complete by August 6. Additional installation on traffic lights controlled by the Georgia Department of Transportation is scheduled to be finished by the end of October.
Rather than investing millions of dollars and several years into building new fire stations, the city opted to improve existing infrastructure through technology.
“It’s local government being innovative, adaptive and using technology to think ahead,” Wilson said.
The Source: FOX 5’s Denise Dillon spoke with Roswell Fire Chief Pabel Troche and Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson for this article. Additional details come from the Georgia Department of Transportation.
